System and method for providing in-game timed offers

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing an in-game offer to one or more players of an online game. The offer is provided to players that have newly joined the game and/or to players that have not yet made a purchase. In some implementations, the offer may be meant to incentivize purchase upon entry into the game. The in-game offer may comprise an offer to one or more items and a bonus comprising one or more bonus items provided to the player responsive to the offered items being purchased. The in-game offer may only be made available to a qualifying player for a certain amount of time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of providing in-game offers to users in an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors, the method comprising:
 executing an instance of the online game;   managing user accounts for the users, wherein individual user accounts include information about individual users, wherein the information about an individual user includes (i) user-specific registration information regarding a moment the individual user registered to join the online game, and (ii) user-specific purchase history information regarding an individual purchase history for purchases by the individual user, wherein the users include a first user, and a second user, wherein the user accounts include a first user account for the first user and a second user account for the second user;   performing differentiations between users that are (a) not new to the online game and have not engaged in purchases in the online game, and users that are (b) not new to the online game and have engaged in purchases in the online game, wherein a first differentiation regarding the first user is based on the information included in the first user account, and wherein a second differentiation regarding the second user is based on the information included in the second user account such that:
 (i) the first user is identified as not new to the online game and having not made purchases, and 
 (ii) the second user is identified as not new to the online game and having made purchases; and 
   providing one or more offers to individual ones of the users based on the differentiations such that one or more of the users are excluded from receiving the one or more offers, wherein the one or more offers are provided to the first user and are not provided to the second user, wherein the one or more offers include a first offer to purchase a first item.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the one or more offers to the individual ones of the users comprises:
 providing the one or more offers to the individual ones of the users during a first time period.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first time period is a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first time period is based on one or more characteristics of the individual ones of the users. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein, responsive to a particular user from the individual ones of the users not accepting the provided offer, the method further comprises:
 selecting an alternative offer from the multiple offers; and   providing the alternative offer to the particular user, wherein the alternative offer comprises an opportunity to purchase a second item.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein providing the alternative offer comprises providing the alternative offer for a second time period. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein responsive to the individual ones of the users not accepting the provided offer and not accepting the alternative offer, the method further comprises:
 making available the multiple offers to the second user.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 obtaining values of respective user parameters for the users, the respective user parameters comprising at least a first parameter;   forming at least a first segment of users from the users based on a value of the first parameter; and   generating multiple offers for the first segment, the multiple offers including at least the first offer and a second offer, wherein the second offer comprises the opportunity to purchase a second item that is different from the first item, and wherein the one or more offers are selected from the multiple offers.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 tracking responses of the users of the first segment to an individual offer provided, the tracking including, responsive to the provision of the first offer to a first subset of users of the first segment and the provision of the first offer to a second subset of users of the first segment, tracking the responses of one or more users of the first subset to the first offer and tracking the responses of one or more users of the second subset to the first offer; and   assessing a first relative effectiveness of offers transmitted to the first segment based on the responses of the users of the first segment.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 tracking responses of the users of the first segment to the individual offer provided, the tracking including, responsive to the provision of the first offer to a first subset of users of the first segment and the provision of the second offer to a second subset of users of the first segment, tracking the responses of one or more users of the first subset and tracking the responses of one or more users of the second subset; and   assessing a second relative effectiveness of offers transmitted to the first segment based on the responses of the users of the first segment.   
     
     
         11 . A system configured to facilitate providing in-game offers to users in an online game, the system comprising:
 one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 execute an instance of a virtual space; 
 manage user accounts for the users, wherein individual user accounts include information about individual users, wherein the information about an individual user includes
 (i) user-specific registration information regarding a moment the individual user registered to join the online game, and 
 (ii) user-specific purchase history information regarding an individual purchase history for purchases by the individual user, wherein the users include a first user and a second user, wherein the user accounts include a first user account for the first user and a second user account for the second user; 
 
 perform differentiations between users that are (a) not new to the online game and have not engaged in purchases in the online game, and users that are (b) not new to the online game and have engaged in purchases in the online game, wherein a first differentiation regarding the first user is based on the information included in the first user account, and wherein a second differentiation regarding the second user is based on the information included in the second user account such that:
 (i) the first user is identified as not new to the online game and having not made purchases, and 
 (ii) the second user is identified as not new to the online game and having made purchases; and 
 
 provide one or more offers to individual ones of the users based on the differentiations such that one or more of the users are excluded from receiving the one or more offers, wherein the one or more offers are provided to the first user and not to the second user, wherein the one or more offers include a first offer to purchase a first item. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide the one or more offers to the individual ones of the users for a first time period. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the first time period is a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the first time period is based on one or more characteristics of the individual ones of the users. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein, the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 select, responsive to a particular user from the individual ones of the users not accepting the offer, an alternative offer from the multiple offers; and   provide the alternative offer to the particular user, wherein the alternative offer comprises an opportunity to purchase a second item.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide the alternative offer for a second time period, the second time period beginning after the first time period. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein responsive to the individual ones of the users not accepting the provided offer and not accepting the alternative offer, the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to make available the multiple offers to the second user. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 obtain values of respective user parameters for the users, the respective user parameters comprising at least a first parameter;   form at least a first segment of users from the users based on a value of the first parameter; and   generate multiple offers for the first segment, the multiple offers including at least the first offer and a second offer, wherein the second offer comprises the opportunity to purchase a second item that is different from the first item, and wherein the one or more offers are selected from the multiple offers.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 track responses of the users of the first segment to an individual offer provided, the tracking including, responsive to the provision of the first offer to a first subset of users of the first segment and the provision of the first offer to a second subset of users of the first segment, tracking the responses of one or more users of the first subset to the first offer and tracking the responses of one or more users of the second subset to the first offer; and   assess a first relative effectiveness of offers transmitted to the first segment based on the responses of the users of the first segment.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 track responses of the users of the first segment to the individual offer provided, the tracking including, responsive to the provision of the first offer to a first subset of users of the first segment and the provision of the second offer to a second subset of users of the first segment, tracking the responses of one or more users of the first subset and tracking the responses of one or more users of the second subset; and   assess a second relative effectiveness of offers transmitted to the first segment based on the responses of the users of the first segment.